Description
Papari Valley sits in the rolling hillsides of Kakheti – Georgia’s most well-known appellation. Its name, translates to horse’s mane in Georgian, a reference to the valley’s wavy appearance. Papari Valley has followed organic farming practices since 2014 (under Caucascert) and ferments its wines using naturally occurring yeasts. No synthetic herbicides, pesticides or systemic treatments are used in the vineyards.
Papari Valley’s unique terraced Qvevri system enables vinification using gravity flow – this demonstrates the winemaker’s dedication to natural winemaking with minimal intervention. The first terrace is for fermentation, the second is for ageing and the basement (the third terrace) is reserved for premium wines which undergo further ageing. The journey for this particular Medium-Sweet Saperavi took 8 months through the winery’s terraced Qvevri system. Its last leg was spent ageing on the third terrace in Qvevri number 4.
At 17% ABV., this wine is unusually high in alcohol for a Medium-Sweet red. Science attributes this anomaly to an extremely rare yeast – Saccharomyces Oviformis – that grows in Papari Valley’s vineyard. It is activated in the final stages of fermentation. And, can have an alcohol tolerance of between 16% and 21%. In its natural form, this microorganism can only be found within the organic vineyards of a handful of winemaking regions around the world.
In short, they do not come much more Georgian than this… A fine Medium-Sweet red wine, made in one of the world’s most natural vineyards, using the traditional Qvevri winemaking method. Highly recommended.
Suitable for vegans.
96/100 points
